DEAR 'ABBY': PICK ONE SITCOM PREMISE.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

THANKS TO the magic of vaguely uninspired direction, it takes maybe five minutes for viewers to figure out what UPN's new sitcom ``Abby'' is about.

Abby (Sydney Tamiia Poitier, daughter of the celebrated Sidney) is the successful producer of a regional sports show with a fairly hapless anchorman (Randy J. Goodwin) who's pretty obviously sweet on her. There are the requisite wacky co-workers, so it's a workplace comedy, right?

But, wait: Turns out she has a fairly unreliable boyfriend, Will (Kadeem Hardison), who is obviously a louse, so the show's going to be about her breaking up with him and striking out on her own, right? No, wait: Hardison is pretty amusing, so he has to stick around.

Turns out they share a cushy rent-controlled apartment, so she's stuck in a typically uncomfortably sitcom-y situation of living in with her ex - while also pursuing other relationships and dealing with her zany co-workers.

Despite the groaner of a premise, ``Abby'' boasts some winningly funny lines. And though Poitier possesses the charisma to emerge as a star in the making, she doesn't yet have the comedic chops to carry the series. Hardison and Goodwin, on the other hand, are more-than-adequate comic foils.

Even given the laughs, the premise seems stifling - how long can these three reasonably co-exist before viewers expect the terribly attractive Abby to be able to assume some semblance of control over her convoluted love life?

ABBY - Two and one half stars

What: Sitcom about a former couple (Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Kadeem Hardison) uneasily sharing their rent-controlled apartment.

Where: UPN (Channel 13).

When: 9:30 tonight; thereafter, 9 p.m. Tuesdays.

In a nutshell: Lame set-up, some funny lines.

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Photo:

Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Kadeem Hardison star as a TV producer and her ex-boyfriend in UPN's ``Abby.''